Swablu Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Return is the highest power STAB move Swablu has access to that does not have downsides, allowing Swablu to secure as many 2HKOs and 3HKOs as possible. Roost provides Swablu with recovery and lets it make use of its bulk and boosts. Cotton Guard allows Swablu to become a bulky monstrosity and prevents all priority moves from revenge killing it. Agility grants Swablu the ability to outspeed the unboosted metagame and sweep. With both Cotton Guard and Agility, Swablu can effectively overwhelm offensive teams. However, you can forgo one of these for Heat Wave, which gives Swablu the ability to lure and defeat Magnemite, Pawniard, and Ferroseed, though it is a weak attack otherwise. Set Details The HP EVs give Swablu the most bulk possible while also allowing it to survive four Stealth Rock switch ins, and the Special Defense EVs allow Swablu to reach 16 Special Defense, the largest important benchmark for Swablu. These in tandem with Eviolite give Swablu enough bulk to effectively pull off the set. Attack is maximized so Swablu has significant chance of being a threat while Natural Cure allows for Swablu to heal potential burns. Natural Cure allows Swablu to absorb status for your team, such as Thunder Waves from Staryu or Ponyta's Will-O-Wisp, which can be very useful early-game (burns do limit Swablu's effectiveness until they can be healed off, however). Usage Tips Swablu should find opportunities to set up versus weaker special attackers, or special attackers that have poor coverage against Swablu, such as Spritzee, Abra, or Choice-locked Gothita. However, status Pokemon prevent Swablu from sweeping and should not be set up against nor should Swablu set up before all of them are removed. Additionally, Swablu needs to keep its Eviolite to maintain opportunities to set up. In order to rack up damage on Swablu's counters, Swablu should come in several times to wear them down before attempting a sweep. Stealth Rock should be kept off your side of the field as much as possible to sustain Swablu's HP and allow for Swablu to pivot into Scald and Thunder Wave as much as possible. Team Options Nosepass provides Swablu with ample switch-in opportunities thanks to its slow Volt Switch and also provides entry hazard support. Nosepass also has similar checks and good coverage options to weaken them and pave way for Swablu's sweep. Seel resists Ice and can lure in and remove Chinchou and other Electric-types with Drill Run, which Swablu greatly appreciates. Seel can also weaken bulky Pokemon and can pick off faster, problematic threats like Elekid with its priority. Seel also needs a switch in to Grass-type Pokemon, which Swablu excels at handling despite missing out on having any decent Flying-type STAB moves. Nosepass, Seel, and Swablu form a dastardly core that can effectively fend off some of the metagame and provide a large and very defensive backbone to several team archetypes. Torchic can be beneficial to Swablu, aiding it by Baton Passing Attack and Speed boosts. Most trappers pair well with Swablu; Trapinch and Diglett are able to remove Steel- and Rock-types for Swablu, and Pursuit trappers such as Houndour, Stunky, and Pawniard are able to remove troublesome Ghost-types for Swablu. The former two Pursuit users can also be used to lure in bulky Ground- and Rock-types with Hidden Power Grass. Gothita can be effective for trapping and crippling Ferroseed and Rock-types that Diglett cannot and is able to cripple bulky Pokemon with Trick. Knock Off users like Pawniard, Mienfoo, and Abra, as well as Thief users such as Snubbull are able to help remove the Eviolites of bulky Pokemon for Swablu, aiding in its sweep later in the match. Entry hazard setters, chiefly Omanyte and Dwebble, can provide much needed support for Swablu and help it secure many 2HKOs with multiple layers. Both Omanyte and Dwebble can help with Knock Off support as well. Toxic Spikes support from Skrelp, Omanyte, or Skorupi allows Swablu to slowly beat out most attackers and helps wear down Swablu's best counters in Rock-types. Fletchling has many options to support Swablu; Hidden Power Water Fletchling forms a fiendishly effective core with Swablu, luring in Archen and Pokemon with Ground / Rock and Steel / Rock typing. Likewise, Hidden Power Grass Fletchling can be used to lure Tirtouga and Omanyte, which are both immediately more threatening than Archen, and still hits Ground- and Rock-type Pokemon. Salac or Durin Berry Fletchling with Natural Gift performs similarly; Salac Berry works against Steel-types and Shell Smashers at the expense of losing coverage on Archen, while Durin Berry works more effectively against Onix and hits Archen. Overheat Fletchling can be ran to remove all Steel-types for Swablu. Vullaby can also form an effective core with Swablu, weakening most of their shared checks rather effectively with Knock Off and a strong Brave Bird or U-turn.